In the Spirit of Full Disclosure
by nygirl26
Summary: Peter's voice is low and hoarse, barely a whisper, when he finally speaks. "I had a son once, you know." Post Season 4 Finale. Peter and Olivia talk.


Warning: Longest a/n ever. So I am BRAND new to the Fringe world; I just mainlined the entire show in about three and a half weeks, and I'm just in love with this world and these characters. Being so new, I'm sure my characterization is off; also, as I mentioned, this was a binge watch, meaning some details might be slightly muddled due to the sheer overload of Fringe-related information my brain received in a short span of time. Apologies for any inadvertent factual inconsistencies. Any helpful comments and criticism are more than welcome, and definitely appreciated. This mostly takes place in Peter's pov, but there is a switch to Olivia's briefly, which I tried to clearly note...obviously this one got away from me a little. I blame it on having written this in transit.

Takes place post-season 4; because I would have loved to see them have a discussion about Henry, and prepare for Henrietta.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe, or any of the characters or actors. If I did, I'd surely be distracted currently by the delicious Joshua Jackson.

** In the Spirit of Full Disclosure**

There are a lot of things about his past, about Peter himself, that he is not proud of. Pieces of his character, and choices he has made, that make him grimace with shame at times. Still, if there's one thing Peter does pride himself on it's his honesty when it comes to Olivia. Starting a conversation about the her that wasn't her, and the time they shared, was the hardest thing he's ever done. Yet he knows that if he hadn't been the one to tell her, and if he hadn't done so before anything romantic happened between him and his Olivia, there would have been no chance at a relationship with her, ever. He understands the value Olivia places on honesty – it's why he initiated their full disclosure policy. While it was sometimes painful, and frequently awkward, it had allowed Olivia's trust in him to return full force, and then some.

Though there would be no way for her to be made aware of this development, he knows it will weigh heavily on him. A downside of having such an attentive, intelligent, nuanced girlfriend was that hiding any sort of shift in disposition was damn near impossible. So, as had proved fruitful for him in the past, Peter broaches the subject with her before it can come back to haunt him.

They are lying in her bed, reveling in the afterglow of their recent celebratory actions as well as the news they received hours ago. It had been a mutual decision to head to Olivia's place after departing the hospital. They both felt the need to spend some time just the two of them, to really digest the way their lives would soon change. And, while he wouldn't voice it, Peter could not yet wipe from his mind's eye the vision of Walter shooting Olivia, Peter hovering over her lifeless body, the gun still in Walter's hand. A little time apart would do them all good.

They find themselves face to face, as they often do, and she stares back at him with the most serene look he's ever seen grace her face. He hates to ruin this moment, to shatter her peace, but he knows it will only get harder the longer he waits.

Peter's voice is low and hoarse, barely a whisper, when he finally speaks. "I had a son once, you know."

Olivia's eyes immediately sharpen, then soften slightly. She knows instinctually that there is much, much more to this story, that there's a reason it's never been discussed. She reaches for his hand and grips it tightly, her gaze never wavering, and waits for him to continue.

He shores himself up – this will undoubtedly be the toughest part to put into words. "It was...Liv, it was with the other Olivia. She was his mother."

Her expressive green eyes are glassy with tears before he even finishes his sentence. She pauses, reining in her emotions, before speaking. Her voice is shaky, but sharp in the dim glow of the room. "How...when did you find out? How did you find out?"

"September. He showed me an image of them together. Told me his name was Henry."

"I don't...how is this even possible? Does this mean she also remem..." Olivia trails off abruptly, and he can see the exact moment it hits her. "You keep using the past tense."

Peter nods once, and when he responds his voice is thick. "Turns out, when your father ceases to exist it stands to reason that you would also cease to exist."

"Oh, Peter." Her hand is on his cheek and he feels lighter and heavier than he did moments ago. "Peter, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must be feeling."

Peter's not so sure what he's feeling either, but the words tumble out effortlessly. He's never been one to share such personal information so freely; it seems to be just another way in which Olivia has changed him.

"You know, I never really thought about children before. Not even in an abstract sort of way. I had no roots, no family to speak of, no long term relationship and no desire for one." He takes a moment to inhale shakily, and offers her a small, sweet smile. "And then I met you. And without either of us meaning for it, you gave me the semblance of a family. You gave me the first solid ground I'd had in over twenty years. And I can't fully express to you how deliriously happy I am right now. A few months ago I was afraid you'd never even look at me like you knew me again. Being here with you, like this, and knowing that in a few months we'll have a family of our own...I'm overjoyed. You're the only person I've ever loved like this, that I've ever wanted a life with like this. But I saw him. I saw my son. And the circumstances would have been impossible, it would have been a terrible situation to bring a child into...but he was mine. And I loved him, immediately – the way I already love our baby. I'm sorry it was her, Liv, I am. But Henry was completely innocent, and I rendered him obsolete. I can't get his image out of my head, I'm sorry."

Olivia pulls him to her, his head resting on her shoulder as he continues to mumble his apologies.

"Peter, stop. You have nothing to apologize for. I know you're happy about this – I feel so lucky, so grateful that my child will have you, with your unconditional love, and incredible spirit, as a father. That I'll have you by my side. And I appreciate your honesty."

"Full disclosure", he whispers into her skin.

She responds in the like, her hand running gently through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Peter. I know what family means to you. To find about him, about Henry, like this...I'm just so sorry."

Peter breathes in slowly, pulls back and wipes his eyes brusquely. "I just wanted you to know. I wanted you to know I'm in this with you, even if my thoughts seem far away for a little while."

* * *

Olivia is struck, not for the first time, by the thoughtful, caring soul her boyfriend possesses. She knew there was more than met the eye even at their first meeting, years ago. But she never could have imagined how profoundly he feels everything, how intensely he loves those he regards as his kin. She'll never stop considering it an absolute honor to be included in that circle. "I know, Peter. But thank you."

He leans over, kisses her deeply. "I love you, Liv."

His words light a fire in her. Though his actions tell her every day just how much she means to him, for whatever reason the words themselves are rare. To hear them unsolicited like this is heavenly.

She gently rolls him from his side to his back. Peter's eyebrow quirks immediately as he smirks at her, and she breathes a small sigh of relief that he is back in this moment with her. "Hormones", she shrugs, happy to help lighten the mood.

Olivia knows she will need to process this information – though it happened in another universe, bearing Peter's child is yet another first, another piece of her life, that her doppelganger has stolen from her. Eventually she will have to process her death and resurrection, though she will, admittedly, try to outrun those emotions for as long as possible. And Peter will have to process it all as well. She saw his tear-stained face immediately upon coming to, and what appeared to be a hand print marring his cheek – obviously even the few moments she was gone were torturous for him. Olivia knows his natural protectiveness will be increasing exponentially, both because of losing her, however briefly, and because of the new creature she is currently housing. And she's not insensitive enough to assume he's done grieving the child that wasn't meant to be. It's a tremendous amount of baggage to deal with, but she knows they'll find their way, together.

She moves over him, bringing herself back to the present. For this moment they are safe, they are happy, they are in love. This is a moment to enjoy, and those are all to rare for them.

"I love you, too" she whispers against his lips, before silencing them both for the immediate future.

* * *

It's seven months, one week and two days later, and Peter finds Olivia and himself back in the hospital, albeit for a much more joyous reason. Thirteen hours of labor has left Olivia exhausted, but glowing – he wonders, briefly, if this is what he looked like to her, in the days when she saw him surrounded by the shimmer. Their tiny, perfect daughter lay in the hospital-provided bassinet, less than an arm's length from him, should she utter the slightest noise, give any indication that she needs her father. Peter loved Olivia well before they found about her pregnancy, his mere existence was proof of that. That love only continued to grow as he saw the toll the last few months took on her, and it was compounded further when he saw her bring their child into the world. In that instant, he was certain it was a scientific impossibility to love her anymore.

And then she smiled up at him wearily, handed him their daughter and simply said, "Henrietta." And Peter was content in the knowledge that his wife would always find a way to prove him wrong.


End file.
